Letters to the Editor for Saturday, February 4, 2012

Great year for Wheels on the James

On behalf of Wheels on the James Chapter of AMBUCS, we would like to thank the Lynchburg community and those in surrounding counties for your continued support of our 501(c)(3) charity of providing therapeutic, customized AmTryke cyles for those individuals who have difficulty riding a regular bike.

Because of all of your kind contributions since May 2011, we have been able to provide 27 cycles for those having varying mobility challenges and still have more requesting a cycle. We are hoping to soon give our first disabled veteran cycle, thanks to the support of local veterans and their organizations helping with this cause.

A very special thanks goes to Lynchburg College for all the many things they have done to help make this charity a success. The compassionate physical therapists and students in training at Lynchburg College’s School of Health Sciences, the therapists at Laurel School and Blue Ridge Therapy have reached out to many of our mobility challenged in our community to help evaluate/fit our recipients to cycles, ages 2 to 32 with varying physical issues. LC students in the computer graphic design department have helped design a Christmas card and brochures to get the word out to the public.

We are also very grateful to the following persons for helping to put together the cycles for us: Ryan Owens, Mark Wilson, Brian Coalson, Donnie Almond, Heather Childress and the staff at Lynchburg Fire Department.

It has truly been moving to see these people getting recreation, mobility, having fun, and at the same time getting therapy. A heartfelt thanks to all of you for making this possible, including The News & Advance and WSET for the publicity we have received.

NANCY WELLONS

Founder and President

Wheels on the James

A can-do attitude

It’s been demonstrated many times that history repeats itself. Unfortunately the American people and their elected leaders do not recall this axiom, and we all are losers.

Recently, President Obama rejected the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline that would provide crude oil from a friendly source at a reasonable cost. As the United States is such a large consumer, this would help lower the world price of oil.

At the beginning of World War II, most American crude was produced in Texas and refined in the eastern states. It was transported by tankers, which immediately became the targets of German submarines. Rationing was imposed on the American public due to transport problems, not lack of oil.

However, our leaders then possessed a can-do attitude. Plans were initiated in June 1942, construction begun in August 1942, and crude oil was received in New Jersey in August 1943. It was then refined and used to defeat Hitler. Although built in haste, this pipeline is still in use today; it has the nickname of “Big Inch.”

Why should the American public be held hostage today to foreign despots, when private companies are willing and able to help solve the problem? The problem is the poor leadership in Washington that does not have the best interests of its citizens at heart, but that responds to the interests of special groups.

DAVID HIGHT

Roseland